Dragon‑Qilin was startled by the words, though the voice sounded oddly familiar.
Even so, he didn’t dare slack off; with a quick shake, he transformed into a sturdy youth with a qilin’s head and human body. He moved so fast, he forgot Quinn was still on his back.
Quinn flailed as he tumbled off, but Dragon‑Qilin hurriedly caught him and set him on his shoulder, peering cautiously toward the moonlight.
Tonight was the seventh day of the lunar cycle; the moon formation had reached a great crescent, with the rest of the array shrouded in shadow.
The formation was vast, stretching hundreds of miles. The sections hidden in shadow hadn’t vanished—they still operated, just concealed from view.
The array resembled a moon palace, with pavilions nestled in its heart—scenery elegant and soothing, a true delight.
"Whoever governs the moon in the celestial chart must be a beautiful woman."
Dragon‑Qilin poked his head out from the shadows and saw that the damaged spot made moonlight pour down like flowing water.
A woman sat at the tip of the crescent moon, looking this way and blinking at them.
"Is that her?"
Dragon‑Qilin paused, confused. Quinn, limp as a broken puppet, slid off his shoulder, head lolling.
Dragon‑Qilin quickly caught Quinn. The woman from the crescent moon approached, surprised: "What happened to him?"
"Cult Master Quinn is injured."
Dragon‑Qilin said to the woman, "His injuries are severe, but it shouldn’t be fatal. Cult Master, wake up!"
He shook Quinn, whose head lolled like a bobblehead. Quinn’s eyes fluttered open, gazing hazily at the woman—her face looked familiar, but he couldn’t recall who she was.
"What are you doing here?" he mumbled, then drifted back into sleep.
"See? He’ll be fine!" Dragon‑Qilin said confidently.
But the woman looked worried. She brought them into the moon palace, saying, "I just finished cleaning up here. You two should rest and recover."
Dragon‑Qilin settled Quinn in, and after the woman examined his wounds, she thought for a moment and began refining medicine and brewing spirit pills for him.
Dragon‑Qilin sidled over, grinning. "Back then, you didn’t know a thing. Now you’re brewing pills and medicine?"